Foul Trouble a Concern Again for Trey Kaufman-Renn in Purdue's Win Over Iowa

It's becoming more and more apparent that opponents only have one way to stop Purdue's Trey Kaufman-Renn: Get him in foul trouble. Although the Boilermakers have won their last two games against Indiana and Iowa, fouling continues to be a concern for the junior forward.

Kaufman-Renn was red-hot to start Tuesday's game against the Hawkeyes, scoring a quick 12 points in the contest. But he also picked up two early fouls, sending him to the bench after playing just eight minutes.

When he exited the game, Purdue's offense struggled. It was the second straight game that Kaufman-Renn's time on the sideline proved costly for the Boilermakers. It was a similar situation on last Friday's game against Indiana, when the Boilers struggled to rebound the basketball when the 6-foot-9 forward wasn't on the floor.

"He needs to stop fouling. He needs to stop fouling because we don't have a low-post scorer like that," said Purdue coach Matt Painter. "It doesn't mean we can't be a good team without him, because we can, but I don't think we're the same prolific team without him. That's the piece, where he's got to play without fouling."

We've seen just how prolific Purdue can be when Kaufman-Renn is on the floor. In Tuesday's win over Iowa, he finished the game with 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists. In Friday's victory against Indiana, He dropped in 23 points, which included a game-winning shot and a pair of clutch free throws.

Unlike Friday's game against Indiana, Kaufman-Renn played with more discipline in the second half against Iowa. He only picked up one additional foul in the last 20 minutes, ending the game with three.

Against the Hoosiers, Kaufman-Renn picked up his fourth foul with nine minutes to play in the game — a few of which came from illegal screens. After the 81-76 win, Painter said it's imperative that the junior forward improve in that area.

"He has to be more accountable. Like, he can't leave the game right there. Sometimes, you get to where you compete and you go get a ball, someone slides under you and you go over their back, but you didn't intend to do that," Painter said after the Indiana game. "When you set a screen, you're intending to set a screen. Like, be legal. We spend a lot of time on screens, it's very important for how we play. You have to be legal. That accountability is where he has to grow, because we need him to stay in the game."

Kaufman-Renn understands his importance to the team and knows he can't pick up unnecessary fouls throughout the course of the game. He admitted on Tuesday, though, that there's some frustration with the inconsistency of the whistles throughout the course of a game.

That's where he has to keep his emotions in check.

"I need to do a better job of showing better body language," Kaufman-Renn said. "I'm a guy who's all about trying to control what you can control, but when you consistently go back and watch film — and I'll do it today and the same thing is going to happen —and there's four or five bad calls against you and you go down to the other end and you're getting hacked, it's very difficult to contain yourself.

"It's something I have to work on, it's my responsibility to control my emotions."

Even with the foul trouble in the last four games — he's picked up at least three in each of those contests — Kaufman-Renn has been a nuisance to opponents. He's averaging 22.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

But over the last two games, there's been a clear difference in Purdue's offensive ability when Kaufman-Renn is on the floor compared to when he's on the bench. That's why it's so critical that the junior learn to play without fouling, especially as the Boilers chase a third straight Big Ten title.

"We're not going to be as good, especially in the low post, when he's not in there. We're just not," Painter said. "We don't even try it. We just play differently."

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